Senator Kirk (IL) and Senator Feinstein (CA) recently introduced a bill (S. 2536) to the federal senate which would change requirements for placing adult advertisements, as well as record-keeping requirements for adult advertising websites.

The bill, titled the “Kirk-Feinstein Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation (SAVE) Act” can be found here. The bill would impact any individual who places an online ad for any adult service (fetish, stripping, body rub, escort, and adult film), as well as all websites that contain sections devoted to adult services, even those that do not charge for ad placement.

Summary of the S. 2536

Requires individuals placing ads to submit a valid government ID and telephone number.

I’ve been asked to pass this along. The survey looks at medical care recieved by victims of human trafficking in the US during the time they were trafficked. It recognizes both sex and labor trafficking. The survey is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

The intro letter:

Hello,

I am an emergency medicine physician (currently at Columbia-NY Presbyterian, but still affiliated with Mount Sinai Medical Center) in NYC, conducting an anonymous survey of human trafficking survivors. The survey was designed with Dr. Susie Baldwin and the aim is learn more about survivors’ experiences with healthcare providers, while they were being trafficked, so that we can educate providers about this patient population in an evidence-based fashion. Participating survivors, so far, are recruited via community based and not-for-profit organizations, and receive a $10 gift card upon completion of the survey.

We hope your organization would like to participate; please reply if you’d like more information on how your organization can get involved!

ALFRED, Maine (AP) — A Zumba fitness instructor who pleaded guilty to using her Maine studio as a front for prostitution is going to jail, bringing to an end a scandal featuring sex videos, adultery and exhibitionism.

Alexis Wright was sentenced Friday under a plea agreement to 10 months in jail for 20 counts including prostitution, conspiracy, tax evasion and theft by deception.

I understand this is a bit off topic as there hasn’t been information released, to my knowledge, isn’t inherently related to sex work. Although as sex workers we are all vulnerable to this kind of situation. Some of us have faced it first hand ourselves.

But for anyone who knows me or knows of me these events obviously touch me on many levels very deeply.

These girls are heroes beyond imagination. While the man who helped get them out is being called the hero and he is. His efforts still are tiny in comparison to what these girls endured for ten years. If they ever stumble on to this blog I hope they know that anything they did to survive is something to be honored and cherished.

I have seen very ignorant commentators in the news related to this state they can’t believe these girls had no chance to escape in ten years. People who say things like that have no idea what they are talking about. While it is now coming out that they were kept in restraints. Being kidnapped, raped, likely tortured, and fearing that anything they do may cause them horrendous pain or to be killed is a more powerful restraint than anything physical could ever be.

I am so pleased these women escaped. And so hope that they all find love, support and assistance to help them go through the very difficult recovery process. Hopefully the women will hear a lot of people tell them that they did nothing to deserve this. This was a choice by psychopaths to do this to them and that they will get all the love, support and whatever else they need to rebuild their lives and somehow go on from this.

As someone who went through something very similar to this. I am so pleased they were able to escape and so hope they get all the support they need. I endured far less than ten years of what they did and know the staggering effect it has had on me. Ten years is almost hard to fathom.

The women are heroes. What it took to survive this and to take the chance to escape is courage beyond pale.

The Desiree Alliance is a national social justice organization that is led by current and former sex workers in coalition with health professionals, social scientists, educators, and their supporting networks focused on building leadership, capacity-building, organizing and constructive activism for sex worker rights and autonomy.

As we prepare for our 5th national conference, our priority will be centered on health, sex work, human rights, and following-up with the XIX International AIDS Conference (July 2012) and the 9th National Harm Reduction Conference (Nov 2012).

The Desiree Alliance conference is a forum for people who have experience in sex work and sex trade and allies of sex workers. Sex work includes working as an exotic dancer, hustler, webcam model, street-based sex worker, massage worker, escort, prostitute, tantric practitioner, sexological bodyworker, living with the support of a sugar-daddy or a sugar-mama, having sex for housing / food / clothing, drugs, or having sex to get the money needed to survive. Our membership base is made up of current and former sex workers as well as activists that do not identify as sex workers themselves, but advocate for sex worker rights. Desiree Alliance is made up of women, men, LGBTQI persons, transgender persons, herm-identity, Other, hetero, etc., and many of our members are from (non)working class low and middle income backgrounds.

Based on our limited funding capacities, Desiree Alliance provides a number of scholarships to people from groups that have often been marginalized from organizing for sex worker rights. We invite diverse sex workers to apply including people of color, immigrants, gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans-people, differently- abled/disabled people, senior citizens and others to apply. Visit http://www.desireealliance.org/conference/logistics.htm#scholar

Registration Instructions
Please send an introductory email to desiree2013@desireealliance.org with “Introduction for Registration” as the subject and include the following:

Name:
You may use any name or pronoun that you identify with when applying for the conference and while attending. (However, if you receive a scholarship we will ask for the name that is on your ID if we need to book transportation)

Email:

Contact phone number (including best time to call):

How you found out about the conference:

Why you would like to come:

If you are a student (this will enable you to register as a student to get a student discount. If you say you are a student, you must attach a scanned copy of your current student ID with your email to get the discount code):

If you plan to present:

Registration fees for the conference include: Attendance at any or all of the workshops, presentations and sessions; name badge and registration packet; one continental breakfast or snack daily. (Please note that the conference location will not be disclosed until registration is complete – please make your hotel reservation ASAP as rooms will go fast!)

Registration fees do not include: Transportation (however the hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle); lodging; lunches or dinners; Fundraiser After Party (you will have the option of purchasing a ticket during registration); dinners, souvenirs, extra-curricular activities or personal expenses.

Over the last few months I have been reading and writing about sex work and law. I have had the chance to comment on several excellent papers as they are being written and had some wonderful opportunities to work with skilled and knowledgeable activists in human rights, the women’s movement, HIV and sexual and reproductive health. I have also had some great opportunities to learn from sex workers and hear the conversations that are taking place within the movement.

Of course there is plenty to say about so many aspects of sex work and law globally. Much of it is being said by far more articulate people than me andthe PLRI website is dedicated to making that information accessible. http://www.plri.org. Here I want to mention two issues that strike me as high priorities.